Feb 8 Bicycle commute dealbreakers

1. More than a few inches of freshly fallen snow (day-old, packed-down snow is fine).

2. Widespread frozen slush ruts on the bike paths.

The first one is easy to predict the night before and make alternate plans accordingly, but the second one can lead to some last-minute commute method decisions that turn out fine...or not, depending.

Right now, Turku has up to ten inches of accumulated snow (according to the Finnish Meterological Institute), but most of it has been well packed down (or ploughed away) on the bike paths. It makes for an especially breezy commute on studded tires. When the path is bare, or even when it's icy, the studs grip and slow you down. On snow, you just glide. It's a nice feeling!

Temperature, so far, has not been a deal-breaker. The photo is of me taking Sterling to päiväkoti on my way to work on Monday. My GPS watch records from that ride tell me that it was -12C at the time. But even that wasn't cold enough to keep me from overheating, pulling him in the trailer!